BLOOD OF THE SNAKE
by theoctopus
Summary: Orochimaru, one of the strongest ninjas of Konoha, ruined dozens of lives to satisfy his endless lust for power. Among his victims is me, who possesses the blood of the Snake. Can I ever escape from his clutches?
1. Chapter 1

IN LOVE WITH A SNAKE

My existence is a tragedy. I was born into this world through a man's evil plan. This is my story.

The Hidden Leaf village all cheered as their treasured great ninja, Orochimaru announced that he had taken Shiroi Mitsuki as his wife.

Mitsuki was gorgeous in her white kimono and flowing silver hair. Her light grey eyes glistened with happy tears as her husband put a snake-like ring on her slender finger. Tsunade, Jiraiya, Yondaime and Sandaime walked towards the happy couple and gave them their blessings.

The village was so surprised to see Orochimaru, the seemingly heartless Sanin, to fall in love and build a family of his own. Everyone didn't expect the ambitious ninja to abandon his life as a Sanin and live with his wife in peace away from duty. As the couple moved slowly through the crowd to leave the village, the people threw flowers at them.

Mitsuki's POV

My heart flooded with joy when I saw the home Orochimaru built for us in the middle of the forest. It was not like the houses in the village but instead more like a cave with many tunnels. However, I couldn't ask for more.

As long as I was with him, I could ask for nothing more. My only dream is to start a family with him away from the dangerous ninja world.

Orochimaru flashed a slight smile at me and asked, "Do you like it?"

I kissed him lightly on the cheek and replied, "It's perfect. I'm sure the baby loves it too." His gaze moves down to my slightly protruding belly under my kimono. He stroked my belly gently and smiled to himself. He held my hand in his and led me into the dimly lit cave.

A silver-haired ninja who was no more than 16 years old greeted us, "Orochimaru-sama, Mitsuki-sama, welcome to the Village of Sound."

I gave Orochimaru a puzzled stare and he explained, "This is Kabuto, a medical ninja. He will take good care of you to ensure the safe delivery of our child." I frowned slightly.

Orochimaru quickly added, "Mitsuki, I know that you really dislike the ninja world. That's why I created this haven of harmony for us, the village of sound, as I know your love of music."

Kabuto stated, "My lady, if you'd like, I can lead you to your bedroom to rest." I agreed immediately as I was feeling a slight ache in my womb as my child moved.

Orochimaru reassured, "Go rest, darling. I will go do some house renovations for our arriving baby."

I lay on the bed after Kabuto shut the door and closed my eyes.

My fingers played with the ruby around my neck with the word "spirit" in Kanji etched onto it.

This _**was**_ the symbol of my people, the Spirit Clan.

Anger and frustration filled my head as I remembered how the cruel the ninja world was.

The Spirit Clan was one of the strongest clans in the Hidden Leaf Village, but its power stroke fear into the villagers' hearts. So there was a huge tension between Konoha and my clan.

We sought for help from the Uchiha Clan, in hope that they could help our clan patch our damaged relationship.

However, the Uchiha Clan, long jealous of my clan's unrivalled secret techniques, betrayed us and accused our clan of murdering one of their own in cold blood. Then the war broke out.

I was only _15_ at the time and being a descendant of the pure-blood family in the clan, I was hunted by Konoha Anbu.

I was the only pure-blood who escaped death as three genins who were now the famous Sanin hid me from sight.

After a year, the witch hunt was finally stopped, but my clan was already _**destroyed**_.

Konoha eventually found out the truth behind the "murder" which started the war, and all of the people involved were deeply sorry.

I still remembered the years when I was so fixated on revenge, doing nothing but practising forbidden techniques passed down to me from my family.

It was Orochimaru who reminded me that I wasn't alone by spending time with me and convincing me to be accepted back into the Konoha village.

_He_ was the only one who never left my side. I couldn't help but smile as I remembered the day when I told him the good news.

It was almost 4 months ago. He just came back from Sanin duty and I waited at his dorm's door.

I still remember vividly how his usual cold snake-like eyes beamed with joy when I told him I was pregnant. When he promised to give up his career for our future, I knew from the bottom of my heart that _**he was the one**_.


	2. THE BEGINNING

THE BEGINNING

_6 months later_

I screamed at the top of my voice, "The baby's coming!" Kabuto and Orochimaru rushed in. After nearly an hour of pure agony, my newly born daughter gave a fresh cry.

I reached for the baby, but Orochimaru lay his hand on my forehead and suggested, "You need more rest. I will take care of our child." I obeyed him and fell back on the bed.

When I woke up, I found myself in completely different settings. I was strapped onto a medical table with blinding lights on me. I tried to move my arms, but nothing moved. I felt weirdly drowsy and realised that I was poisoned.

A cold laugh came from a dark figure next to me. I whispered, "Help." The person stepped into the light and my heart stopped.

Orochimaru stared down at me with a malicious grin on his face. "Orochi...maru..." I mustered all my strength to speak. He laughed again and stroked my cheek like he used to.

"Mitsuki, you're so gullible. Now that I have to dispose of you, I actually feel a bit guilty." I felt dizzy as my brain tried to register what was happening right now.

His fingers wiped away the tears falling down my cheek and comforted me, "Don't worry, Mitsuki. Our daughter, Himeko is currently safe with Kabuto far away from you." My lips moved to mouth "why" and his eyes glistened with madness.

He replied, "For power of course! Your clan's powers have always impressed me, especially your pure-blood secret techniques! When I discovered your clan's secret by observing your training, I knew I had to possess those abilities. Mitsuki, you have the power to summon and take on the the form of the tailed beasts! With your clan's naturally enhanced strength and agility, you're the perfect ninja! At first, I was content with possessing only you. However, as I dug into more and more of your clan's hidden ancient history, I found something that could change the world. According to the Spirit Clan legend, in each pure-blood generation, one ninja will be the reincarnation of the its respective tailed beast. Are you still confused, my dear? You are the ninth generation's remaining pure-blood and the nine-tailed fox, Kyuubi! I needed you to produce the tenth generation's monster, the ultimate ten-tailed beast!"

My mind was blank as I heard my husband ramble on about his plan. I was merely a disposable pawn on his chessboard, yet I was so in love with him. I couldn't help but pity my daughter for what lay ahead of her.

I closed my eyes to concentrate, using all the chakra that hadn't been drained and tried to focus the poison I had in my body to my left arm away from my heart, temporarily stopping the numbness.

I broke through the chains, panting heavily as I stood up from the bed to face the maniac. My left arm was steadily going black as the poison fed on the nerves, causing it to go limp.

Orochimaru smirked at me and crossed his arms, teased, "What do you think you can do? You're going to die very soon."

I bit my lip till it bled to keep myself awake and glared back at him, stating, "Did you forget? You said yourself. I am a close friend of the Kyuubi. I only need 15 minutes to take you down." I grabbed the knife from the table and ran it along my right arm, causing it to bleed fiercely. I shouted, "Come forth, Kyuubi! Devour my body and kill this man before me!"

I drew the summoning sign on the floor with my blood with ease as I have practised this countless times when I was pent on revenge. I could feel the burning hot chakra of the kyuubi rising from the sign, surrounding my body.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Orochimaru running out of the room. It wasn't long before the red chakra enveloped my whole body, swallowing me whole and showing the full ferocious form of the fox. With my last breath, I uttered my final wish to the Kyuubi, "Kill Orochimaru."

The Kyuubi crushed Orochimaru's base with one step and leapt after the escaping ninja. The beast roared in anger and wanted nothing but destruction. The trees fell one by one as the enormous monster followed the ninja.

Little did the Kyuubi know that Orochimaru was leading it to Konoha. As he reached the gates of Konoha, there were chilling screams from the village as they saw the beast rushing towards them.

The Kyuubi killed everyone in sight, burning every building it could find. No one could subdue it until the Yondaime sacrificed himself to seal the beast into his son, Naruto.

After the ritual, a woman's body fell from the demon. The Sandaime caught the bloody corpse of Mitsuki and turned her body in for private investigation. In the middle of the commotion, no one caught sight of a severely wounded Orochimaru who was critically burned by the Kyuubi's chakra limping away from the village.


	3. 6 Years Later

6 years later ~ Himeko's POV

I stared defiantly at my opponent, Kimimaro, who began to transform his bones into spikes protruding from his body.

I unleashed invisible chakra strings from my fingers and ran towards him. He leapt away from me and threw a spike at me which was easily deflected.

I frowned and reprimanded, "Kimimaro-san! Please take this seriously!"

He replied politely, "Yes, Himeko-sama."

He warned, "Be careful. Dance of the Clematis."

Kimimaro's speed and strength increased tenfold as his sword narrowly missed my arm.

I smiled and made the hand sign for my special technique, Spirit Strength Jutsu.

I was completely enveloped by chakra and my speed surpassed Kimimaro's as I used the chakra strings to throw him to the ground.

He regained his balance immediately and proceeded to continue his taijutsu techniques.

Little did he know that he had moved exactly as I wanted him to and I could see my chakra strings coiling around his whole body. One single twitch from my finger and he would be my own puppet.

Someone started to clap behind me and I turned around to see my father staring proudly at me. "Good match, Himeko! I have taught you well."

I smiled and released my chakra strings, greeting my father cheerfully, "Welcome home, father!"

He walked slowly towards me, examining me from head to toe. "You've grown, Himeko." He stroked my cheek and gazed into my grey eyes. He continued, "You've got your mother's eyes and my black hair."

I grinned proudly back at him. Kabuto entered the stadium and reminded, "Orochimaru-sama, it's time to go."

I instinctively grabbed father's sleeve as he turned to leave. "Do you need to go already?" I pleaded.

He patted my head gently and said, "The Sound Village needs me."

I suggested, "Can I help you then?" He laughed and promised, "You will when _**needed**_."

I sighed as my father left the base once again. Kimimaro soon followed suit, leaving me alone at the training stadium.

I sat in the corner of the stadium and eventually fell asleep. I woke up with a start as I heard screams from just outside the stadium.

The door burst open and the Sound Four, Kimimaro dragged three wounded ninjas into the stadium. The ninjas all had the symbols of the Hidden Leaf Village Anbu on them. My father and Kabuto walked into the stadium.

I couldn't believe my eyes when my father glared so intensely at his victims and laughed like a maniac. The three Anbu ninjas were already weakened and bloody.

One of them shouted, "Orochimaru, you're never going to get away. Even if you kill us, the village will only send more to stop your plans!"

My father jeered and his snake-like eyes seem to contract menacingly.

Orochimaru stated, "Too bad. I was going to give you quick deaths after making you talk."

Another Anbu ninja chuckled darkly and asked, "If we are going to die anyway, why would we talk?"

Orochimaru suddenly turned around to the third ninja and his neck elongated as he bit him on the neck.

The bitten Anbu clapped his hand on his neck, panting heavily and muttering, "What...did you do?"

Orochimaru replied nonchalantly, "Just an experiment." A black sign formed on the man's neck and glowed eerily. He fell on the floor, writhing and retching from the pain.

His two comrades rushed towards him and cried worriedly, "Hang on, Misu!"

Orochimaru said tonelessly, "I will grant him a quick death if you give me the Anbu name list."

One of his teammates couldn't take it anymore and threw the name scroll at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru picked up the scroll and within a second, he signalled to the Sound 4 who threw poisoned shurikens at their victims. The three ninjas fell to the floor motionless, forming a pool of blood.

My body was frozen to the spot out of shock. The image of my father torturing the ninjas was stuck

in my mind.

I always knew that father sometimes had to fight as a ninja, but the fact that he enjoyed torturing others tormented me. I couldn't help myself but shiver.

There was complete silence in the stadium and I knew I was in deep trouble.

As I turned my head to peek at the scene again, I caught sight of my father standing right next to me. My heart pounded painfully against my chest.

He said monotonously, "Himeko." His hand reached for me, but my instincts took control and I jumped away from him. "So you've seen what I do." My mind was _**blank**_.

All I could say was "Why?".

The man before me grinned slyly and stated, "Your mother said the same thing before I killed her."

I took another step back and said slowly, "You...killed mother?" My legs gave way and I fell to the floor shivering.

He continued, "Yes, I did. Then I taught you every technique that you needed to know. I knew a day like this would come. Don't worry, Himeko. With a bite, I will take your conscience away."

I felt my father's breath on my neck.

It was then when I heard a voice say, "Kill that murderer." I mustered all my strength and punched my father in the jaw.

The Sound 4 shouted, "Orochimaru-sama!" Kabuto rushed forward to tend to Orochimaru. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the Sound 4 and Kimimaro preparing themselves to fight.

~_What should I do? Am I going to die here? I am not strong enough to take on all of them._

The voice I heard before grew stronger and said, "Let me help you."

Kabuto warned as he charged towards me, "Orochimaru-sama! She's summoning a beast!"

However, a claw made of chakra grabbed Kabuto and threw him roughly against the wall. A lion-sized cat with two tails made of pure chakra appeared in front of me, snarling at Orochimaru.

The Sound 4 went into their deadly formation and attacked the werecat. However, the beast unleashed a blast of pure chakra at them which none of them were able to block.

After that move, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach. The voice said, "I am draining too much of your chakra." I knew this was my only chance to escape and commanded, "Take me away from here."

The beast knelt down for me to climb on and sprinted off with amazing speed. The strong wind was making it extremely difficult to hold onto the creature.

The ache in my stomach was increasing every second as the creature I summoned continued to consume my chakra.

My vision began to blur and the cat growled, "Keep awake! Once you lose consciousness, I will disappear!"

I bit my lip and tried my best to focus, asking, "What are you really?"

"I am Bakeneko, the two-tailed beast. I am not in my real form, but merely a diminished clone that you summoned. If you grow stronger and can have more chakra, I will grow stronger too."

"I don't understand. Summoners have contracts with the creatures. I don't have a contract with you."

"The tailed beasts were created by the Spirit Clan and bound to the chosen pure-blood in each generation. Your mother passed this ability onto you."

I winced as I felt the pain spreading to my whole body and said, panting, "Bakeneko-san, I can't hold on much longer."

It picked up speed and shouted, "Just a bit more. We're nearly in Konoha."

I repeated softly, "Konoha." My body couldn't stand the stress anymore and I collapsed into pure darkness just at the gate of the Hidden Leaf Village.


	4. REBORN

REBORN

When I woke up, I opened my eyes to see the Anbu team and an old man staring at me lying on a bed. I sat up and one of the Anbu held a knife to my neck.

I knew that I must be in Konoha now, catching sight of the village through the window. My head ached as I remembered everything that happened with my father.

From what I could tell, Orochimaru must have killed many Konoha ninjas so they definitely wouldn't treat me as a nice guest.

A part of my mind suggested, "A quick death might not be a bad idea. At least I won't be in the same world as Orochimaru and be with mother."

I stared at the ninja who had the blade directed at my main artery and moved my neck to touch the cold metal, pleading softly, "Do it. Kill me."

The man's expression couldn't be seen through his Anbu mask, but I felt his hand shake slightly.

The other Anbu grabbed his teammate's arm and pulled the weapon away from me, scolding him, "Kira, you can't point a knife towards a child!"

Kira reminded, "Kakashi, She's no normal child. Look at her grey eyes, the mark of Spirit Clan's pure-blood. She may be Orochimaru's child."

Kakashi looked at the silent old man in the room and argued, "It's only Sandaime's guess."

I stared at the white bed sheets and said solemnly, "That's true. I am Orochimaru's daughter."

The pain of my father's betrayal caused my insides to boil with anger. I had _**enough**_ of this world. I had enough of Orochimaru's lies. Tears fell from my eyes, wetting the sheets.

I clutched the sheets tightly and cried, "Just kill me! End this! Please."

The Anbu called Kakashi, whose head protector covered one of his eyes, took off his Anbu mask and moved towards me slowly.

I muttered repeatedly through my sobs, "Kill me."

He asked softly, "What's your name?"

I replied between sobs, "Himeko."

Kakashi placed his hand on my head comfortingly and spoke to the old man, "Sandaime-sama, as you can see, this child is troubled and harmless."

After a few moments of silence, the old man finally concluded, "She is to be kept in the Hokage Tower at all times under constant surveillance of the Anbu until I see fit." The 5 Anbu ninjas saluted the Hokage as he left the room. Kakashi continued to stroke my hair soothingly as I wept. It seems hours till I fell asleep from the stress.

The next morning, I was escorted out of bed to the washroom for a bath. I turned on the tap for the water to fill the tub and sat in the corner of the room with my head on my knees. The memory of Orochimaru confessing to my mother's murder kept replaying in my mind. The fact that the murderer's blood was within me _disgusted_ me. I clawed at my wrist as I felt the traitor's blood flowing through my veins.

After 30 minutes, the Anbu kicked open the door as they thought I had escaped. They were surprised to find me sprawled on the ground in a huge pool of blood.

When I regained my consciousness, I found myself on the bed in my room with bandages around my wrists.

Someone immediately slapped my face hard. I looked up to see Kakashi glaring at me without his Anbu mask.

I apologised, "I am sorry for making you go through all the trouble to heal me. I wanted to be gone before you found me."

He grabbed my shoulders violently and scolded, "Himeko! You can't do that to yourself!"

I asked nonchalantly, "Why? Your teammates all want me dead anyways."

One of the Anbu members in a corner of the room snorted and said, "It's because you're a monster. The Spirit Clan's pure-blood are abominations especially your mother."

I repeated, "Mother?"

He replied darkly, "That's right. Your mother transformed into the Kyuubi and killed hundreds in the village, including Yondaime-sama."

My mind went blank and said softly, "So my mother is a murderer too."

Kakashi took my chin and forced me to look into his one eye, saying, "Listen to me. Your mother was poisoned and lost control of her powers out of rage unintentionally. According to Sandaime, the Kyuubi's initial target wasn't Konoha."

"My fat...Orochimaru said that he killed Mother. She must have been targeting him." There was silence and I asked, "Why do you want me to live? My mother destroyed Konoha and my father is an evil mastermind."

He smiled through his mask and replied, "I do not believe that suicide is a a solution. You're not evil, just misunderstood."

Big fat tears fell from my eyes uncontrollably as I said, "Thank you."

He patted my head and joked, "You're welcome, crybaby."

From then on, I began to eat regularly again, regaining my strength. I had Kakashi who believed in me and that gave me the will to live on.

After a few days, the Hokage requested to see me. I was escorted by 5 Anbu ninjas to the room. As they closed the door behind me, Sandaime gestured for them to leave. The old man wore a red hat with the symbol of the Hokage on it and matching robes.

He too examined me from head to toe which unnerved me slightly. He moved towards me and knelt down to my height.

He commented out of the blue, "You have Mitsuki-san's eyes."

I looked into his black eyes and asked, "You knew my mother?"

He nodded and replied, "She had the gentlest soul I have ever seen. She hated the ninja world because there were constant fights and wars."

"Gentle? I heard that she destroyed Konoha."

His expression turned sad and he corrected, "It was Orochimaru who destroyed Konoha. She was merely his victim."

I frowned and questioned, "Aren't you scared of what she could do and what I can do?"

He smiled warmly and said apologetically, "I used to and I am ashamed of my fear. I was so scared of what your clan was capable of and allowed the villagers to destroy your clan. I know your forgiveness is a lot to ask for, but please know that I am sorry for what I did."

"You killed my people?"

He bowed his head in shame and said, "I am sorry. I will make a lifetime of amends for what I did. For starters, I need to present you as a respected member of Konoha, not to be feared or hated." I frowned and stared at him in confusion.

He grinned and announced, "I shall present you as my granddaughter, Asuma's daughter."

"Asuma?"

"He's my second son. You shall live with him." My heart sank slightly.

I bowed politely and said, "Sandaime-sama, I am really grateful for the arrangement."

He beamed at me and reminded, "It's Grandpa! Himeko-chan! Before I forget, I need to give you this. This was your mother's." He handed a ruby necklace with a word "spirit" carved onto it. I put it around my neck and tucked it under my clothes.

There was a knock on the door and in came a ninja with a black beard. He stared at me and at the Hokage. "So this is the child."

Sandaime nodded and requested, "Asuma, please take good care of her as your daughter."

I bowed quickly and greeted, "It's an honour to meet you, Asuma-sama!"

He lifted my chin up and reminded, "You don't need to be so formal with me since I am going to be your father."

He smiled at me and stretched out his hand. I stared at it and stayed still.

He seemed slightly hurt and laughed, joking, "Sorry about that. I guess you need time to adjust. Shall we go home now, Himeko-chan?"


	5. HOME

HOME

When we reached his apartment, I looked around the flat cautiously.

Asuma chuckled and suggested, "You can explore our home if you wish." I rushed into the flat and took everything in.

My eyes sparkled as I saw the lovely view of the Hokage tower through the window and the dainty rooms with windows to look out of.

Asuma joked, "You're acting like you've never seen a apartment before!"

I stated, "I have never been out of Fath...Orochimaru's cave."

Asuma stared at me with a weird expression and said, "You haven't seen the best thing yet. Check out the TV!" He pointed at the black box in front of me and directed me to push a button on it.

There was a flash and moving images appeared on the screen. My mouth opened in awe and I exclaimed, "That's amazing!"

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Asuma ran excitedly to the door, muttering, "Is it Kurenai?" He opened the door to reveal a silver-haired ninja with a masked eye.

I recognised him immediately and shouted cheerfully, "Kakashi-san!" Kakashi's mouth behind the mask moved to form a smile as he walked into the apartment.

Asuma questioned, "So you know each other?" I ran towards Kakashi and took his hand, dragging him towards the TV. Asuma stared at how easily I took Kakashi's hand and asked again, "How did you know each other?"

Kakashi ruffled my hair playfully and replied, "I talked to Himeko for a bit in the Hokage Tower. Himeko, you've gotten much stronger."

I explained, "Because I want to be useful to you, Kakashi-san! Let me help you in Anbu duties!"

Kakashi seemed rather taken aback by the suggestion and stated sternly, "Himeko-chan, you're only a child. You're not strong enough."

I frowned and argued, "Then train me till I am good enough!"

Asuma reminded, "Himeko-chan, it's too dangerous for a child to go on missions. Maybe we can go on a picnic tomorrow."

I ignored him and continued to implore Kakashi, "Please, I want to become useful to you."

Kakashi looked away from me and placed his hand on my head, saying, "Just keep Asuma happy by being a obedient daughter so he won't bother me to talk about his troubles again."

With that, he left the apartment. I stared longingly at the door and knew that I needed to somehow convince Kakashi that I am capable enough to help him out in the battlefield.

After a bath, Asuma rushed me to my bedroom and put me in bed. I fell asleep almost instantly. In my mind, I found myself standing alone in boundless white space.

A voice behind me said, "Himeko." I turned around to see a gigantic Bakaneko, which caused me to fall back on the floor in surprise.

Bakaneko bent its head to look at me and I said, "So this is your true form."

The cat monster opened its enormous mouth to speak, "Yes. Why did you summon me?"

"Did I summon you?"

"Yes, you did. Why did you want to contact me?"

"I need your power to prove to Kakashi-san that I am powerful enough to be of use to him."

It sneered at me and asked, "You want me to kill him?"

I shouted, "No! I just need your power to help him."

The huge cat yawned and said, "Sure. Ever since you summoned me before, we are already connected spiritually. So I can assist you easily."

I woke up at 6 am next morning as I had done since I was young. A set of brand new pink overalls and underwear lay on the table across the room, which had been prepared by Asuma last night.

I changed into my new clothes and opened the window quietly, trying not to disturb Asuma who was asleep in the room next to me. I jumped out of the window and landed on the ground easily.

The sun hadn't fully risen yet and the streets were dead quiet. I wandered along the streets, away from the centre of the village and reached a huge patch of greenland, surrounded by trees.

I began my usual training routine, practising the dance technique I created and producing small waves from the chakra lines from my fingers. I twirled gracefully into the air, feeling the wind gently on my face.

A figure stepped out from the trees and said, "So you snuck out of your home."

I stopped my dance and turned to the one-eyed ninja, saying, "I just wanted to train."

Kakashi commented, "That technique was quite good."

I smiled proudly and added, "I invented it." Kakashi wondered whether it was the Spirit Clan's blood that allowed me to have such control over my chakra at such a young age.

He reminded, "Shouldn't you be at home? Asuma will be worried."

"Why are you here so early?" I asked, ignoring him.

Kakashi replied, "I have to prepare myself for the coming Anbu mission."

I gave him a hopeful stare and he rejected me defiantly, "No, Himeko-chan. I can't risk a child's life on a mission."

"Why? Am I not strong enough?"

"We are dealing with S-class missions when our targets aren't afraid of killing children."

"I think I can handle that. I was trained by a mass murderer since I was a baby." Suddenly, Kakashi greeted a ninja running towards us.

Asuma grabbed my shoulders and turned me around, glaring at me and scolding, "Did you know how worried I was? How can you leave the house without telling me?"

He was heaving slightly with rage, and I backed away from him slightly. Kakashi explained, "She went out to train."

Asuma knelt down to my level and stared into my eyes seriously, stating slowly, "Himeko-chan, you can't leave the house without telling me. I was so worried! And you don't have to train anymore. I don't know what Orochimaru made you do but you are free to do whatever you want to. You can just do what other six-year-old girls do, picking flowers and playing with toys."

I nodded in silence. I knew that Asuma wanted me to enjoy my childhood away from the ninja life, but what I truly wanted was to use my skills to assist Kakashi, the first person who led me away from the darkness in my heart.

Asuma took my hand and talked about the "exciting" ceremonial presentation of me as Sandaime's granddaughter in the afternoon, but all I was thinking about was Kakashi's who was already off to his Anbu mission.


	6. NEW ALLY

NEW ALLY

I followed Asuma back into the Hokage Tower and into the dressing room, where three women held a light pink kimono.

"Well, I will wait for you outside, Himeko-chan!" Asuma said and closed the door behind him, leaving me slightly nervous.

The three women examined me from head to toe while I looked shyly away from them. Then they exclaimed unanimously, "You're soooo cute!"

They pounced on me and tore my clothes off and put the silk kimono on me effortlessly. They gestured for me to sit on the chair, while they pulled open a drawer to reveal hundreds of small boxes and brushes.

I stared warily at the boxes and one of the women questioned, "Have you never seen your mother put on make-up before?"

I shook my head and replied solemnly, "My mother died when I was a baby."

The other woman slapped the first woman who spoke on the arm and patted me on the head gently, consoling me, "Poor thing."

One of the woman said softly, "Now darling, let us see your pretty face and we'll make you the most beautiful princess ever."

I raised my head to look at the woman, whose warm smile immediately changed into fear and disgust. The three of them leapt away from me as if I was a contagious disease.

One of them fell to the floor, cowering and muttered, "Tho...Those eyes..." I got off the chair and held out my hand to help her up.

Another woman slapped my hand away, exclaiming, "Don't touch her, you MONSTER!" The three of them ran for their lives, slamming open the door. I looked into the mirror in front of me and saw my silver eyes.

They now looked lifeless and greyish with hurt. Asuma rushed into the room and asked, concerned, "What happened? Where are the maids?"

He caught sight of my pained expression and rushed towards me, asking quickly, "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

I stared straight into his black eyes and saw no fear but worry for me, asking timidly, "Why aren't you scared of my eyes?"

I saw pity in Asuma's eyes, while he stroked my black hair gently and said, "Himeko-chan, you're my daughter. Why would I be scared of you? Your silver eyes are beautiful. I know some ignorant people are still afraid of them as they fear the power of your people, but I am certain that their views will change when they know you."

Tears fell down my cheek as I heard his endearing promise and I said with a muffled sob, "Asuma-sama, I am so happy that you would care so much about me."

He wiped my tears with his hand and suggested, "When you are ready, I would really want you to call me Father."

I opened my mouth to say "Father", but was stopped by Asuma's finger on my lips.

He smiled gently and reminded, "You don't need to force yourself." I shook my head and said more persistently, "Father."

He wrapped his arms around me and I was slightly taken aback by his warmth as Orochimaru never hugged me before. I lay motionless in his embrace, unsure of whether to hug him back or not.

There was a knock on the door and Saindaime appeared, stating, "10 minutes till the ceremony! Where are the maids?"

I looked away at the ground and Father explained, "They went away for some other supplies. Don't worry, we'll be ready soon!" The Hokage left to entertain the crowd of Konoha villagers cheering for him.

Asuma picked up the brush from the drawer and dabbed some blush, looking slightly lost and warned apologetically, "This is my first time dealing with make-up. Sorry if I mess up, Himeko-chan."

I giggled at his nervousness and he looked amused, staring at me. He noted, "This is the first time I saw you smile."

He tapped the brush lightly on my cheeks, blending the colour and stood back to examine me, announcing proudly, "Himeko-chan, you look like a true princess." I heard the Anbu signalling for us to go out to the balcony of the Tower to meet the people. I remembered what happened with the maids and walked hesitantly towards the door.

Father noticed my shuffling feet and held my hand, comforting, "It's going to be fine. I will be with you all the time." I squeezed his hand anxiously as we entered the public balcony where the Hokage stood.

The Saindaime announced sonorously, "And now I present to you, my lovely granddaughter, Himeko-chan!" At first, the loud cheering encouraged me to wave slightly at the crowd below.

However, after a few seconds, someone shouted, "Look at her eyes!" There were terrified gasps and screams after that.

They muttered things like "Monster", "the clan which could unleash Kyuubi" and "murderer". I looked defiantly away from the crowd, forcing myself to ignore the comments from the people.

One of the villagers shouted angrily, "Hokage-sama, why is this monster anointed as the new lady of the Hokage family?"

Sandaime ordered powerfully, "Villagers of Konoha, I wish for you to accept Himeko warmly as part of Konoha and ignore the things of the past!"

The villagers shook their heads and shared furious looks between them. I felt the crowd's anger even from the top of the Hokage Tower and bit my lip, stopping my tears from dropping. It seemed hours till the ceremony ended with the gold bracelets with the Konoha symbols placed around my wrists.

I remained silent back at the dressing room after the ceremony while the Hokage was still trying to calm the crowd down. I curled up in my chair, burying my head in my knees.

Father placed his hand on my head and said soothingly, "They're going to warm up to you with time. They're just scared." I wanted to know why Konoha was scared of the Spirit clan and my mother.

I needed to understand my heritage more and looked up defiantly at Father, saying, "Father, I need to know more about my clan and mother."

He nodded slowly and led me down the stairs to the Hokage office. He stated gravely, "Father kept all that was left of the Spirit Clan in here and allowed me to give you it when you are of age. Are you sure you want it so soon? The knowledge you will gain may not pleasant."

He put two cardboard boxes on the table and I frowned, asking, "Is that all?"

He sighed and nodded sadly, explaining, "About 30 years ago, there was a war between Konoha and the Spirit Clan. Konoha Anbu exterminated every clan members and burned every house and temple under the clan. The burnt remnants of the pure-blood temple is now abandoned and a graveyard for all the slaughtered ninjas."

I opened the first box and picked up a picture of my mother and Orochimaru's wedding. I tore Orochimaru out of the photo violently and took a good look at her. She had the same silver eyes but had long silver hair as well.

I slipped the photo into my pocket and rumaged in the box, finding a wrinkly notebook. The pages were yellow and on the cover was the name "Shiroi Mitsuki".

I turned the page to see page after page of music and lyrics scribbled.

Father said, "Your mother was quite a musician. I still remember her lullabies she sung to me when I was very young."

I looked at Asuma and asked, "You knew Mother?"

He nodded and smiled, answering, "Yes, I did. I was only a child at that time, but she was the kindest, gentlest woman I knew. When I knew she was pregnant and going to be married, everyone was so excited for her."

"Excited? Weren't the people in Konoha scared of her?"

Asuma laughed and explained, "When your mother first appeared publicly in the village after the war, the village hated her. Yet she was determined to fit in. She was also a great singer and gradually won Konoha's heart."

"But now..." Asuma's eyes darkened and he added, "It was because of the Kyuubi attack. I think the people felt betrayed that Mitsuki-san "unleashed" the Kyuubi and slaughtered hundreds of ninjas and Yondaime."

I muttered, "It's wasn't her fault. It was Orochimaru's."

Asuma agreed, "I know, but the fact that Mitsuki-san could harness such enormous power terrified Konoha. We all were terrified to imagine what would happen if another Spirit Clan pure-blood lost control and unleashed another beast onto the village."

"But if we can control the beasts, there would be no problems."

Asuma frowned and shook his head, ordering, "Himeko, promise me. You will never use that dangerous power ever."

I opened my mouth to argue, "But what if I can control it?"

He grabbed my shoulders and stared at me strictly, repeating, "You must never contact the tailed beasts ever."

I wondered whether I should tell him that Bakeneko was actually already spiritually connected to me, but decided not to and nodded.

At that moment, the Hokage stepped into the door, groaning, "That crowd was a handful."

I bowed apologetically and said, "Sorry, Grandfather."

The old man lifted my chin and grinned, flicking my forehead lightly. "Silly, Grandfather always love a challenge!"

He caught sight of the boxes on the table and his expression grew serious, looking at Asuma and saying, "Asuma..."

Asuma replied, "It was what Himeko-chan wanted. She needs to know the truth about the Spirit Clan."

Sandaime nodded and placed his hand on me, reassuring, "Himeko-chan, if you want someone to talk to, I will always be there for you."

I spent the night, examining everything in the boxes. Everything in the boxes were charred and the words in the books were nearly indecipherable. I learnt everything from the myths of the Spirit Clan to the structure of the family.

According to the family tree, I was the tenth generation heir of the pure-blood family, inheriting the surname "Shiroi". I now knew all the 9 beasts' names and specialties. I also read quite a lot of legends of my clan.

It was written that the first ancestor of my clan, the White Sage, sealed the only strongest demon, Ten-tailed beast, in himself and when he died, he used his ability to split the chakra demon into 9 beasts and that one in each pure-blood generation shall reincarnate as each respective tailed beast itself.

I couldn't help but shiver at the thought that this legend was true. Mother gave into her anger and turned into the Kyuubi. At that moment, I dropped the damaged book of legends in fear.

Something clicked in my mind. I understood why Orochimaru wanted to have me. I was the tenth generation, the ultimate.

Was I the reincarnation of the demon god himself, the ten-tailed beast? Did Sandaime and Asuma know?

My fingers curled into fists and rushed towards the front door of our flat to leave, only to be stopped by Asuma's hand on my shoulder.

He asked, "Where are you going?" I shrugged his hand away and placed my hand on the doorknob.

He grabbed my shoulders and turned me around roughly, asking me, "What's going on?"

I glared at him, angry tears rolling down my face. I growled, "Let go of me. You knew, didn't you?"

I could feel Bakeneko's voice say, "Let all the anger out, Himeko. I will handle him."

Asuma's eyes widened as he looked at me, saying, "Your eyes are glowing..."

Electric blue chakra began to ooze out of my body and I muttered furiously, "Asuma-sama, was it all a lie? I trusted you. Were you keeping me as your daughter just to keep a tab on the ten-tailed beast? Sandaime was in on it as well, wasn't he?" I was sobbing uncontrollably and the chakra was beginning to envelope me which burned Asuma's palms on my shoulders.

However, he held onto me tightly. I shouted angrily, "Let go of me!"

Asuma winced slightly as the chakra was scorching his skin and shouted, "Listen to me, Himeko! Sandaime and I were advised by the elders to monitor you as the ten-tailed beast as they wondered whether they would able to mould you into Konoha's greatest weapon."

The chakra increased tenfold and the chakra flames around Asuma's hands surrounded his whole body as I cried, "I knew it! It was just a plan!"

I glowered at him, only to see that tears were falling down his cheek. He explained softly, "But when we met you in real person, we realised that you were just a neglected misunderstood child. Himeko, I meant every word I said to you. You are my daughter and always will be."

With that, his grip on my shoulders loosened and he fell to the floor motionless. The ever-burning chakra flames on his body burned relentlessly. My heart skipped a beat as I saw Asuma lying face down on the floor.

I fell down to my knees and clutched my head, concentrating hard to stop the flames. However, the flames wouldn't stop.

I mentally called for Bakeneko in my mind and cried in vain repeatedly, "Please stop, just stop." I closed my eyes to focus, rocking backwards and forwards and muttering continuously, "Stop."

Bakeneko's voice said disappointedly, "So soon? Alright...fine. Next time, please don't stop my

fun." When I opened my eyes, the flames were finally gone, but Asuma didn't move an inch.

I knew that Asuma needed instant healing or he won't survive from these serious chakra burns. A faint voice of Bakeneko suggested slyly, "I could help."

I mentally growled, "No, you can't." I knew I had to act fast, but could I do? My own chakra healing could never work against such severe wounds. A part of me knew that I desperately needed the beasts' help.

I muttered, "Sorry Father, I need to break the promise again." Bakeneko sneered in my mind and laughed, taunting, "Do you think you can contact the Gobi in your sorry state?"

I bit my lip until it bled and pleaded repeatedly in my mind, "I am the pure-blood of the Spirit Clan. Answer to me, Gobi!"

Bakeneko laughed and suggested, " With your current chakra, only a serious wound would the Gobi answer to you!" I quickly grabbed the dagger from Asuma's pocket and plunged it into my stomach with full force without a second thought.

Bakeneko shouted worriedly, "Oy, Himeko! You're going to die if you summon Gobi like that!"

I repeated once again, "I am the pure-blood of the Spirit Clan. Answer to me, Gobi!" There was a loud ringing in my head and as sudden as it started, it stopped.

A cold voice said, "Did you summon me, human?" In my mind, I saw the monster who had a dolphin's head and a white horse's body.

I ordered, "Gobi, one of your specialities is healing, right? I need you to help you heal this man."

Gobi snorted and said, "With your current chakra level, I won't able to heal anyone."

I insisted, "I don't care. Just heal him!"

The Gobi said, "I've got a way to inflict his injuries onto you, but you'll die from it."

Bakeneko scolded Gobi, "What are you doing, Gobi? Are you trying to kill Himeko?"

Gobi ignored its accusation and I agreed, "Do it!" I felt Gobi's white chakra flowing from my body and surrounding my hands as I placed it on Asuma's chest.

Gobi noted monotonously, "Be prepared." The pain was instant as the white chakra flowed into Asuma. The burns on his body began to heal, while I felt the excruciating burns forming on my body. I bit my bloody lips to stop myself from passing out. After most of Asuma's burns were healed, my whole body gave way and my whole world caved in.


	7. BRIEFING

BRIEFING

I found myself in the same pure white mental place and found Gobi and Bakeneko staring down at me. I asked, "So is this how it feels to be dead?"

Gobi's cold blue eyes burned into mine and asked, "Why did you save that human?"

I replied, "I love him and I was the one who hurt him. I am willing to trade my life for his."

It growled, "Stupid girl."

I said nonchalantly, "I never knew that death can be so peaceful."

Bakeneko said, "You're not dead yet. You're just in a coma."

At that time, the white mental world shook violently and I fell onto the ground. "What's happening?" I asked, clinging to the ground.

Bakeneko replied, "They are trying to revive you." Suddenly, I fell through the white ground.

I gasped loudly and sat up abruptly when I woke up. I was covered in bandages and in the hospital bed.

A man hugged me immediately and shouted excitedly, "Himeko-chan! You're awake! Finally!" I recognised the voice and my heart leapt.

I croaked, "Father?" He embraced me tightly, which hurt my burns slightly but I didn't care.

He realised this and moved away immediately, saying, "Sorry, I must be hurting you."

I looked away from his kind eyes and apologised, "Asuma-sama, I don't deserve to be your daughter. I nearly killed you."

He placed his hand on my head and reassured, "Himeko-chan, Hokage and I were wrong to deceive you. You lost control, but you healed me, didn't you? You risked your life to heal me. I have never been more proud of you."

I stated sadly, "I was the one who burnt you in the first place."

He stroked my hair gently and comforted, "According to the Anbu, you stabbed yourself to summon a beast to heal me. I still disapprove of your suicide attempt, we will need to talk about that, but the fact that you risked your life for me shows me that you've got the gentlest soul."

I smiled weakly at that, but questioned, "What do you mean, Anbu?"

Asuma replied sadly, "Yes, they were there that night."

"What? Why didn't they stop me before I did something like that?"

The hospital door opened and a old couple entered, saying, "We need to see what you can do." The old woman had her white hair in a bun and had a stern look on her face, while the old man looked extremely cheerful.

I asked, "Who are you?"

The woman replied coolly, "We're the elders of Konoha. We're the ones who keep you alive."

I frowned and stated firmly, "I will not be controlled by you as Konoha's weapon."

The woman scoffed and said snidely, "My dear, that's the only reason we're not killing you. Your sole purpose is to serve Konoha." Asuma's fingers curled into fists, but stayed completely silent.

I insisted determinedly, "I am afraid of you. I will do as I wish and protect the people I care about, but not your little puppet. If I ever grow to love Konoha, I will protect it on my own will, not on you hag's command."

The old woman pounced towards me and scolded, "You insolent little brat!" She raised her hand to deliver a blow, but was stopped by the old man.

The old man said, with a smile on his face, "Dear, that's enough! We now know that Himeko-chan is on our side. That's all we need."

He nodded knowingly at me and said, "Himeko,,,or should I say My lady, we were apprehensive of whether you would be a danger to Konoha, but the display from three days ago proved to us that you are truly a trustworthy asset and welcome to be a part of the Konoha village. From now on, we will stop spying on you through Sandaime, Asuma and the Anbu. Welcome to Konoha!"

He clapped enthusiastically as he finished. Sandaime ran into the ward and towards me, cupping my cheeks in his palms, saying, "I was so worried, Himeko-chan! When the elders forbade anyone from helping you, I really wanted to beat some sense into them, no offense. Does it still hurt?"

I smiled at him and replied, "Hok...Grandfather, I am fine. My wounds heal really quickly. I should be able to walk around in no time."

Sandaime frowned and reprimanded, "You can't! You need at least a week's rest."

Suddenly, an Anbu appeared in the room and reported, "Hokage, I have grave news! Kakashi's team haven't returned yet!"

My heart skipped a beat. _Kakashi?__Is__he__still__not__back__from__the__mission?_

Hokage went out of the room to continue the conversation. I focused all my chakra to enhance my hearing to eavesdrop. The Anbu continued, "His team was a day behind schedule already. We fear that they might be captured or killed by Sound Village ninjas."

I heard Bakeneko purr slightly at the name of the Sound Village, Orochimaru's village.

Hokage asked, "When did you lose contact?"

"When they were passing throught the forest towards Orochimaru's base near Konoha." _My__old__home.__I__knew__exactly__where__that__was._

The Anbu added, "One of Kakashi's summoned dogs was able to return to Konoha just now and is requesting assistance before it disappeared."

I immediately jumped out of bed and ran out of the room, ignoring the slight pain in my legs. I exclaimed, "I need to go save Kakashi-san!"

Hokage turned to me and gave a stern stare, scolding, "Look at your wounds! How can you save Kakashi in your state? Leave it to the professional Anbu!"

I argued, "Please! I know Orochimaru's base inside out! I lived there all my life! I can help you! Kakashi-san may be trapped in there!"

The old woman said coolly, "Sarutobi, it's not a bad idea. It's a good opportunity to see her in action!"

Asuma couldn't stay silent any longer and shouted, "What's wrong with all of you? Himeko-chan is 6 years old! She's hurt and too young to be in S-type missions!"

The old man stated, "Asuma might be right. It is foolish for her to go alone. Let a team of Anbu go with her and she'll lead the way."

Hokage asked me with a pained expression, "Are you sure about this, Himeko-chan? This will be very dangerous."

I nodded determinedly. Hokage and Asuma both sighed. The old woman asked the Anbu, "Which team is available?"

He reported, "The only team available is _**Itachi's**____**team**_."


	8. ITACHI

THE NEXT MORNING

"Be safe, Himeko-chan! Promise me, if anything happens, just hide and the Anbu will take care of it. Remember to keep your mask on at all times. These Anbu were away on a mission on the day of your ceremony and are not informed of you from the Hokage yet. If they see that you're a Spirit Clan pure-blood, they might act rashly." Asuma said for the umpteenth time to me.

I nodded as usual, but we both knew that that would never happen. I put on the Anbu mask Hokage gave me to conceal my identity. Asuma hugged me tightly for one last time and I left the flat to meet at the village gate with my fellow Anbu team. Three Anbu members stood at the gate, waiting.

I ran towards them, grateful for my fast healing ability which patched me up completely. One of the members scoffed when they saw a child wearing an Anbu mask rushing towards them.

He turned to the Captain who had a different mask and a long dark ponytail and said, "Are you serious? We're taking a child to a mission?"

The captain nodded and said monotonously, "Hokage's orders."

I bowed towards the captain and said, "I am here to assist you in locating Orochimaru's base." They said nothing and gestured to leave.

I was extremely thankful for my clan's naturally enhanced speed or I would never caught up with the Anbus' speed. After one whole day of travelling, we made camp to save our strength for the rescue as the base was only a few kilometres away.

My muscles ached slightly as I stopped running and prepared the tent. The Anbu team left to plan for tomorrow's mission alone away from my presence. Little did they know, nothing escapes my enhanced hearing.

I heard faint whispers a few metres away and followed the sound until I was within one metre of them and could hear every syllable they uttered. "Captain Itachi, so we will do the usual thing of you and me entering the only entrance stealthily with Kiri scouting outside."

I said under my breath, "There's more than one entrance. Using the main entrance wouldn't work."

The Captain asked calmly, "So which entrance will you suggest?" My heart stopped as I realised that he heard me.

The stern Captain ordered, "Come up here and show us what you know then."

I jumped up the tree and laughed nervously, apologising, "Sorry for eavesdropping."

The Captain called Itachi merely noted, "You've got increased hearing ability." I nodded.

For some peculiar reason, this captain was making me extremely anxious by his toneless voice. I carved the detailed map of my old home on the tree, marking the different secret entrances and the inside rooms of the maze-like tunnels inside.

One of the Anbu members questioned, "Can we trust this kid?"

Itachi turned to me and looked at me through his cat mask, stating, "She knows what she's doing." I chose the best entrance to the cave which led us the quickest the prison cells which probably held Kakashi. The Anbu stayed silent.

I asked timidly, "Is this alright? This will probably attract the least attention until we reach Kakashi-san." After a moment, Itachi nodded. After the short planning session, we went back to the camp to rest.

I tried my best to fall asleep, to replenish my energy to save Kakashi-san. However, my mind refused to rest and I decided to sneak out to train for a while before I go to bed. I caught sight of the shadows inside the other tents and slipped away into the trees to find a quiet place to train.

As I reached a large space surrounded by trees, I took off my mask, feeling relieved to feel the warm breeze on my face. Then I took a deep breath, and began my dance. I released weak strands of chakra which would merely scrape the tree trunks but wouldn't create much noise as I practised my dance.

I realised that after spiritually contacting Gobi and Bakeneko, I felt stronger and more resilient. During my dance, I saw a chakra-enhanced shuriken flying straight at me and deflected it with ease with my chakra strands.

Suddenly a whole volley of well-aimed shurikens went directly for me instantly, I spun quickly, and the chakra strands formed a protective cocoon around me, blocking all the shuriken.

As I jumped onto a tree branch to see who the attacker was, I felt someone appear behind me and flung my web of chakra strings at him, but he leapt away quickly. I closed my eyes briefly and focused my chakra to limbs, enhancing their strength and speed with my Spirit Clan special techniques.

I enhanced my hearing and heard a twig snap in the distance. I turned towards where the noise was, just in time to dodge a blade. I somersaulted in the air with enhanced speed and landed behind the attacker, readying my fist for the blow.

However, when he turned around, I stopped immediately in mid-action. My fist was glowing with my own chakra inches away from the Itachi's mask shielding his face.

"Captain Itachi?" I questioned, looking at the mask, suddenly realising that I wasn't wearing a mask. He reached for his sword swiftly and held it against my neck in my confusion.

He stated, "Those silver eyes are the symbol of the Spirit Clan. The special technique you used was Spirit Clan's." My heartbeat quickened as I thought for things to say.

I stuttered, "It's...not what you think. I am on your side." His blade was still nudging my neck while he stared down at me through his mask.

He reported emotionlessly, "As Anbu Captain, as Hokage haven't give me orders to dispose of you yet. I shall let you live for a while." I sighed in relief as his cold blade wasn't against my skin. I backed away from him just in case he changed his mind.

As I looked back up at him, Itachi had removed his mask to reveal his handsome face with two dark black eyes. He was no older than 17 years old.

He continued, with a warm smile on his face, "As Itachi Uchiha, I find you very interesting. You're so young, yet you fight better than most Anbu members." I was still speechless as I saw the boy behind the mask.

I could only say, "You're younger than I expected." He smiled again and said, "I became an Anbu Captain when I was 13."

"13?" He nodded. "That's amazing!" I exclaimed.

He remarked amusedly, "You sound like my younger brother, Sasuke, who's about the same age as you."

"You're a lot nicer under the mask. I thought for sure that you were going to kill me when you saw my eyes. That's what every villager in Konoha would have done."

"I'm the same as you. I am from the Uchiha Clan." He looked straight at me and his eyes turned red with three spots around the pupil.

My eyes widened, and asked slightly tensely, "Sharingan? You're from the Uchiha Clan? Isn't that the clan which betrayed the Spirit Clan?"

His eyes turned back to black and he nodded solemnly, saying darkly, "Our clan would do nothing to be on top of Konoha. That's the problem with it."

He caught my worried glance and added, "It's all history. I won't make the same mistake of betraying the Spirit Clan. By the way, what's your name?"

"Himeko."

"So, Himeko-kun, are you looking for revenge against your father, Orochimaru?"

My mouth fell open and asked, "How did you know that?" "Your mother was Mitsuki Shiroi, the last pure-blood of the Spirit Clan. She married Orochimaru and after a few months, she transformed into the Kyuubi, destroying Konoha."

I looked down at the ground, replying, "I am not here for revenge. I just want to rescue Kakashi-san."

He examined me for a while and asked, "Can you already yield the power of the tailed beasts?"

I thought about what happened to Asuma when I lost control and said defiantly, "I won't use that power."

He looked curiously at me, but didn't ask any further and suggested, "You should come over to the Uchiha house to visit Sasuke. I think you'll get along well. We should probably go back to rest for tomorrow."


	9. MARK

We reached Orochimaru's base and entered the chosen secret entrance stealthily. The caves hadn't changed a bit since I left. The lights were dim and the air was always filled with a medical stench. We reached the prison cells in no time.

We found Kakashi's disheveled form chained to the wall in a locked room. One of the Anbu prepared himself to kick open the door.

However, I stepped in front of him and took out a small pin to unlock the door which I had done countless times before. The lock snapped open and we all moved in for the rescue.

"Kakashi!" One of the Anbu tried to wake him as another began to heal his more severe wounds.

The healer noted, "I need a few more minutes to stable his condition before we head out. He sustained a lot of injuries and is barely alive."

I moved towards Kakashi to assist with the healing, but the sound of rapid footsteps outside the room stopped in my tracks.

I reported urgently, "Someone's coming!"

I moved towards the door to face the approaching enemy, but Itachi ordered, "No, we'll handle this. Take Kakashi to safety now." I shook my head and stared at masked face stubbornly.

He scolded me sternly, "Do as I say, Himeko." I bit my lip and grabbed Kakashi's limp body by the shoulders, running as fast I could out of the base and leaving the Anbu team behind.

Fortunately, with my enhanced strength, carrying Kakashi wasn't too hard. I took him to our previous outpost and laid him gently on the ground. I placed my fingers on his wrist and was relieved to feel his steady pulse. His hand moved suddenly and he opened his eye which wasn't covered by the forehead protector.

I asked worriedly, "Kakashi-san? Are you feeling better?"

As his eye focused on me, he sat up abruptly and warned, "Himeko-chan? We need to go now!"

He forced his broken leg to support his weight as he stood up gingerly. I supported him as he was panting heavily from the pain.

He continued, "You shouldn't have come. That was what Orochimaru wanted. We need to go!"

He limped away from the base, gripping firmly to my wrist. I asked, confused, "Kakashi-san? What do you mean? How come we only found you in the prison? Is your team still in there?"

He exclaimed, exasperated, "Himeko, this whole capture was only a trap for you. Orochimaru knew that you would come for me and killed my team, leaving me as bait."

I felt a gush of wind behind me and pushed us onto the ground as an enormous purple viper narrowly missed us. I grabbed Kakashi and placed him metres away from the snake.

Orochimaru laughed sinisterly and praised, "Himeko, you have grown." On top of the snake which was much longer than all the trees in the forest was the Sanin with a purple bow around his kimono.

Kakashi lifted his forehead protector to reveal his single blood red sharingan. Orochimaru sneered at the staggering ninja who glared at him and taunted, "Kakashi-kun, do you want to die?"

I walked steadily towards Orochimaru, saying, "Don't worry, Kakashi-san, I will take care of him."

Orochimaru raised his eyebrows and remarked, "Such confidence. Your Anbu comrades won't be able to help you as they will busy playing with my new experiments and the Sound Village."

I sprinted towards him in full speed and tried to land a punch on his arrogant face.

He jumped off the snake's head away from me, while commanding, "Hebi, attack!" The unusually bulky snake sprang into action immediately and moved with astonishing speed, throwing me onto the ground with a swish of its tail. The impact when I met the ground caused the ground to shudder.

As I struggled to get up, I realised that Orochimaru was already next to me, delivering a direct blow to my stomach and sending me into a tree. I laid motionless under the tree and saw Orochimaru's feet moving closer to me. I knew I could never win against that giant summoned snake and Orochimaru unless I played dirty.

I closed my eyes and called mentally, "As the chosen pure-blood of the Spirit Clan, I call upon you, Gobi!"

I heard a growl in my head and commanded, "Help me defeat Orochimaru and his summoned snake!" Instantly, I felt chakra draining from my system as a white-chakra monster with a dolphin's head, horse's body and the height of half a tree began to materialise beside me. This created a huge whirlwind of pure white chakra which stopped Orochimaru's advances temporarily.

As I pushed myself up from the ground, I couldn't help but feel slightly dizzy from the drastic loss of chakra. The miniature Gobi leapt towards the snake within a split second, leaving me rather vulnerable with Orochimaru.

The Gobi sent me a mental message, "Just hang on with a while until I finish the snake off."

I leant against the tree for support and heard Bakeneko suggesting, "Let me help you!" However, I knew if I summon it as well, I wouldn't be able to hold back and something like that night with Asuma might happen again. I unleashed the chakra strings from my fingers and moved into my attack stance.

"Are you still going to fight? We both know that you don't have much chakra left," he stated with a smirk as he continued to move slowly towards me.

I waved my hands in the air, letting the strings slice through the air at him. He escaped easily up on a tree and I continued aiming the strings at him as I moved my arms. It was a futile attempt as he was too skilled a ninja to be injured by such simple attacks.

However, I could feel Gobi consuming more of my chakra and couldn't risk draining all my chakra and losing consciousness. I thought about Kakashi who was still resting just a few metres from here and knew I had to do everything I can to keep this fight going until Gobi could assist me.

Orochimaru suddenly made ninjutsu signs with his hands rapidly and muttered, "Temporary Paralysis Technique." My body was glued to the spot instantly. I couldn't even move my neck to see where he was.

All I felt was his hot breath on my neck. This was all too familiar. He was going to give me the curse seal.

He whispered, "Himeko, I have perfected this seal just for you. It erases all memory and inhibition, forcing you to do anything under my command."

I mentally shouted for Gobi, but it was too late. I felt his teeth sink into my flesh and gasped in pain. After retracting his fangs, the skin around the bite began to burn.

The temporary paralysis was gone and I fell to my knees, clutching my neck. I screamed as the pain which spread to my whole body grew unbearable. I was in foetal position on the ground, retching violently.

I felt that my connection with Gobi was completely severed and my mind was completely blank. Before I blacked out, I saw the Anbu appearing and Kakashi limping towards me.


	10. START AGAIN

3rd person 5 days later

Hokage paced round the room, wondering what he should do. Asuma and Kakashi were still at the medical centre, waiting for Himeko to wake up. Luckily Himeko's fever, which was caused by the strain of the curse seal, had gone down. Hokage knew that the seal had locked away all of Himeko's memories and also her control if she ever summoned the beasts. A part of him thought that this might be a good thing for Himeko to forget her troubled past and start anew. However, he knew that it would be very dangerous to Konoha and herself if she ever used her summoning technique. He sighed and knew what he had to do.

Asuma and Kakashi entered his office, both looking worried. Sandaime said solemnly, "I have decided to put an evil seal on Himeko so she won't be able to use her tailed beast summoning techniques."

Asuma frowned and questioned, "Isn't there a way to remove the curse?"

The old man shook his head and explained, "There is a way, but it might be risky for Himeko at such a young age. When she wakes up, she won't remember anything. I want you to...how should I put this...only give her specific information."

Kakashi stated, "You want us to lie to her."

The old man nodded and added, "This is what's best for Himeko. It might be good for her to live without such a terrifying past."

Asuma shook his head defiantly, arguing, "We can't lie to her! She trusts us! When she finds out, she will see us as traitors!" Kakashi looked torn.

Hokage sighed and insisted, "We need to. If she summons a tailed beast and fails to fight against the curse seal effects, she will go on a rampage like her mother." The other two ninja were silent.

Sandaime continued, "We will destroy all documents about the Spirit Clan and forbid anyone in the Anbu from telling her that she possesses the ability to communicate and summon tailed beasts. She will continue to live as the Granddaughter of the Hokage, a respectable princess of Konoha."

There was complete silence in the room, and Asuma held his palm to his forehead, saying exasperatedly, "This is mad. I can't lie to her like that. We live in a flat together. I am her father."

Hokage suggested, "Perhaps we could offer a distraction for her. It's time for her to enrol into a ninja school anyways. So this is decided. I will now use the evil sealing techinque on her."

*3 weeks passed* Himeko's POV

As I sat on my bed at home alone, I touched the mark on my back. It was a red circle with three black spots inside.

Grandfather told me that this mark was given to me by them after I was found abandoned on the outskirts of Konoha. Father adopted me as his own daughter, but I was suffering from a severe genetic disease so they sealed the sickness by the mark to keep me alive.

However, the disease came back a few weeks ago, erasing my memory. So they strengthened the mark with the red circle. I picked up the huge plaster on my bed and sticked it on the mark to cover it.

I was extremely excited as I leapt out of bed for my first day of ninja academy. I changed into my pink dress with bandages and sandals. I took out the ruby pendant which was the only thing that my blood family left me around my neck and prayed to my parents in heaven for a great day at school.

The alarm clock rang and I rushed out to leave the flat alone. I hadn't seen Father for 2 weeks already as he was busy teaching his genin classes. However, he left daily notes and food. So I guessed he hadn't forgotten about me. A part of me just wanted maybe a night to talk to him.

As I ran through the streets to the ninja academy, I couldn't help but notice the petrified glances from the villagers. Hokage explained to me that the villagers were scared of me as I was part of a clan which started a war against Konoha, killing lots of their people. I understood their fear, but I knew that gradually they would realise that I was a true princess of Konoha.

As I reached the door of the academy, I bumped into another student and fell down. "Watch where you're going!" the golden-haired boy scolded. I looked at the boy curiously. He had three whiskers drawn on each cheek and blue eyes.

He caught sight of my bracelets with the fire emblem and pointed at me in shock, stuttering, "I don't believe it! You're the Princess!"

He stared at my face and complimented with a cheeky grin, "Your eyes are so pretty." The academy bell rang and we sprinted into the school quickly. We lined up among the newcomers, while the parents watched from the other side.

The boy grabbed my hand and shook it, introducing himself, "I am Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meet you!"

I added, "So did you parents come for the opening ceremony?"

His bright blue eyes darkened and he replied sadly, "My parents are gone."

I squeezed his hand and said, "Mine too and my adopted father never shows up."

Naruto smiled at me and asked, "Err...what do I call you? Princess...?"

"Himeko." He grinned at me and said cheerfully, "Himeko-chan!"

After the brief ceremony, we were led into our classroom to meet our teacher, Iruka-sensei. As we were the last to enter, there were only two separate seats available. So Naruto sat at the front and I sat next to a raven-haired boy. I glanced at the teacher with huge scar across his face and a ponytail and he smiled warmly at me.

He announced, "Welcome to the ninja academy! I am Iruka-sensei! I will be teaching you until your genin examinations! Now should we start by getting to know more about each other?" Iruka-sensei gestured at me to begin and I stood up hesitantly.

He encouraged me, "Himeko-chan, you can talk about anything you want."

I smiled at all my classmates who looked either curious or disgusted and began, "Well, my name is Himeko. I like music, reading and dancing. Nice to meet you." Only Naruto and Iruka-sensei clapped.

As I sat down, one of my classmates shouted angrily, "Her silver eyes are the mark of the Spirit Clan, right? Why is an enemy the Princess of Konoha?"

Iruka-sensei scolded, "Kiba! How dare you say something so disrespectful to your classmate and the Princess of Konoha!"

The boy rolled his eyes and remained silent. I stared defiantly at the table, refusing to meet the gaze of my fellow classmates.

The quiet boy next to me muttered, "There's nothing to be ashamed of. I think your eyes are what make you special. You shouldn't let other people define you."

I turned to look into his black eyes and smiled, saying, "Thank you."

I caught sight of the Uchiha symbol on his black shirt and asked, "Are you from the Uchiha family?"

He replied proudly, "Yes, I am Uchiha Sasuke."

From what Grandfather told me these past weeks, the Uchiha Clan was the strongest clan in Konoha with the power of the Sharingan. I stared intently into his eyes, which made him blush and turn away.

He asked, annoyed, "What are you doing?"

I asked innocently, "I was checking if you have the Sharingan."

He sighed and said, "I wish I can use it now. Brother was able to use it when he was my age."

"You have a brother?"

He nodded and added sadly, "He is a child prodigy in our clan. He became an Anbu captain when he was 13."

"Let's work hard to beat your brother then!" I suggested. He smiled for the first time.

As the academy bell rang signalling the end of the day, the class rushed out of the room quickly. I grabbed my backpack and walked towards the door.

Naruto bounded towards me and asked, "Where are you going?"

I shrugged and replied, "Hokage-sama assigned an Anbu to watch over me after school." Sasuke followed us silently out of the gate. There was an older boy with a dark ponytail waiting at the gate and waving at us.

Sasuke ran over and beamed at him, greeting him cheerfully, "Oni-san!"

The taller ninja looked at me, stating, "Himeko-sama, Hokage-sama has asssigned me to look after you until Asuma-san returns. So if you don't mind, you can stay with us at the Uchiha house."

Naruto asked hopefully, "Can I tag along?"

Sasuke muttered sarcastically, "In your dreams."

Naruto glared at him and turned to leave, retorting, "What's so good about your stupid house anyways? I will go get some ramen instead!"

Sasuke's brother suggested, "Shall we go? My name is Uchiha Itachi."


	11. we meet again

As I stepped into the Uchiha Clan's area, I felt unwavering stares from everyone and walked hurriedly down the road. Itachi opened the door to his house and let us in. At the door was a stunning woman in her late thirties wearing an apron. She took my hand and pulled me into the house.

Itachi and Sasuke both said, "We're back, Mother." Their mother said, "Welcome home, boys. Let me take a look at the Konoha Princess!" She knelt down to my height until our faces were within inches of each other.

I looked into her gentle black eyes and she commented, "You really have lovely eyes!" I blushed lightly and bowed politely, saying, "Thank you, Uchiha-sama. And thank you for letting me in your home." I was immediately suffocated by her strong embrace.

She stroked my hair and praised, "Himeko-sama, you don't need to be so formal! You're such a sweet girl! Sasuke-kun must be delighted to be in the same class with you."

Sasuke grunted in distaste and groaned, "Mother..."

She suddenly turned to say, "Anata, take a look at Himeko-sama!" A stern-looking man wearing a white kimono stared at me coolly and remarked, "So you truly are a Spirit Clan pure-blood." He then turned away and left, gesturing Itachi to follow him. The woman patted my head and comforted, "Don't worry, Himeko-sama. He likes you, but is just rather busy."

Sasuke took my hand and led me to the living room which was just next to the garden. Sasuke's mother brought a plate of sliced watermelon for us, which I muched on hungrily. Suddenly, I heard someone arguing behind the walls. I frowned and asked Sasuke, "Do you hear it?"

He shook his head and questioned, "What? I don't hear anything." As I focused a bit more, I could make out the conversation between Sasuke's father and Itachi.

His father was scolding him, "Itachi, why did you miss the previous clan meetings? Where have you been?"

Itachi said nothing. "Itachi, I know being an Anbu captain is time-consuming, but you should place your clan's business above everything else."

Itachi asked tonelessly, "Anything else, Father?" The door slammed open and their father rushed out of the room and out the house in anger.

Sasuke stared at his father who had left the house with a pained expression and stated sadly, "Lately, Brother and Father keep fighting." Itachi walked into the living room slowly, expressionless.

Itachi gazed at Sasuke apologetically, asking, "Sasuke, can you please find Father and convince him to come home or Mother will worry?" Sasuke nodded and went out of the door.

I looked for something comforting to say to Itachi but found nothing. He looked at my worried expression and asked, "Did you hear everything?" I nodded.

He continued, "Your enhanced hearing is back then."

"Back?"

"Enhanced hearing, strength and agility were the Spirit Clan's special skills and you used to be able to use them."

I stared at his lifeless eyes and asked, "You knew me before my amnesia?"

He smiled sadly at me and replied, "I did." _So we were friends._

I nudged him on the arm softly and encouraged, "Itachi-san, cheer up." He forced himself to smile and gave me a pat on the head, muttering softly, "I wish it were that easy, Himeko-chan."


	12. GRADUATION

GRADUATION

For the next three weeks, I continued to stay at the Uchiha household after school, studying and training with Sasuke. Sometimes, Itachi would be there to show off his epic shuriken skills and guide us. Sasuke and I both gradually became top students at the academy.

I also began to have greater control of my enhanced hearing, strength and speed by private training sessions with Itachi. However, during the afternoon one day before our genin graduation examination, something dreadful happened.

Sasuke and I were studying in the living room when someone banged violently at the door, shouting, "Itachi, come out!"

Itachi strolled out of his room to open the door. There were three ninjas from the Uchiha clan at the door glaring at him.

One of them began, "Itachi, where have you been during all these clan meetings?" There was no reply. Sasuke hid behind the door to peek at what was going on.

The other ninja shouted angrily, "Itachi, where were you last week?"

He stayed silent. "Did you know Uchiha Shisui died last week when you were absent?"

He continued, "Shisui's body was found in a river and a suicide note with his handwriting was found, but we all know with Sharingan, that can be easily forged."

Itachi asked calmly, "So are you saying that I killed him?" Sasuke's eyes widened in shock.

The ninja who accused him stated, "You are the prime suspect of his murder. You haven't been fulfilling your duties as a ninja of Uchiha clan." Itachi threw a shuriken at the Uchiha emblem on the wall, narrowly missing the man's face. His eyes turned into the sharingan and began to transform further.

Suddenly, his father ran towards them and shouted, "Itachi, what are you doing?"

Itachi didn't move for a while and went on his knees, bowing to the Uchiha clan officials, apologising, "I am sorry for my behaviour. I have been too stressed with Anbu duties. I will come to the Uchiha Shisui's trial to prove my innocence."

The officials seemed taken aback by this drastic change and walked away. Itachi stood up, eyeing the cracked emblem on the wall and turning back to the house. Sasuke and I shared worried glances as he walked past us without a word. We stayed silent, trying to figure out what just happened. I knew that Itachi was falling out with his father from Sasuke who told me that his father surprisingly taught him the Great Fire Technique and advised him not to follow in his brother's footsteps.

As Itachi walked me back to my home, I kept glancing nervously at him and looking for words to say.

Finally, he opened his mouth to speak, "Tomorrow's your graduation exam." I nodded. "I'll attend Sasuke and your graduation." His voice sounded normal, but I knew that he was extremely troubled.

I stopped in my tracks and pulled at his sleeve, looking deeply into his eyes and saying, "Itachi-san, Sasuke and I are really worried about you." He said nothing, but stared coldly at me.

I continued hesitantly, "If there is anything bothering you, I know I may not be of much help, but both Sasuke and I really want to help you." He looked away sorrowfully and said softly, "It'll soon be over." Then he took my hand and led me home in silence.

The day of the exam came and I hadn't slept much. It was not because I was anxious about the exam, but I couldn't stop thinking about what happened the day before. Sasuke and I didn't speak much as we both had things on our minds. The exams flew past. There was only a test of the shadow clone jutsu which everyone passed except Naruto. The ceremony passed quickly and I had the genin forehead protector with a leaf on it in my hands. I had always imagined I would be bouncing about when I received it, but all I was focusing on was Itachi standing in the crowd of family members and faking a strained smile.

As Sasuke and I walked towards the crowd of awaiting parents, his mother embraced us excitedly and praised, "Well done! You are now genins! You should go out to celebrate and come back home later for a huge celebration dinner, alright? Don't come back before 6:30!"

We nodded and set out for the village centre. We spent the day walking around the village and in the library until the sun set. We looked at the clock and walked slowly out of the library to the Uchiha village. The moon was already out as we reached the gates of the Uchiha village. It was dead quiet as we walked past the weirdly deserted houses.

I asked Sasuke, "Where are all the people?" He frowned and suggested, "Maybe they are at the celebration." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone perched on top of the lamppost staring at us. However, when I turned, he was **gone**.


	13. the SLAUGHTER

The SLAUGHTER

We finally reached Sasuke's house, but the house was completely dark. As we opened the door, we shouted, "We're home." However, there was no answer. We shared looks of confusion and rushed into the house, looking for his parents and Itachi. There was no one on the first floor so we sprinted up the stairs. I heard a soft thud in a room and pointed at one of the closed doors to Sasuke. We approached the room cautiously and Sasuke opened to door with trembling hands.

The room was pitch-black and we both moved slowly inside. Then, as the moonlight shone through the window, we saw the monstrosity in front of us. The pool of blood glistened under the moon, and Sasuke's mother and father looked strangely peaceful. Both Sasuke and I couldn't breathe or move at all, unable to understand the ghastly scene.

Someone moved behind the bloody bodies and we both stared at him with fearful eyes. The moon illuminated the dark figure to reveal Itachi in his Anbu overalls and holding a blood-stained sword. His eyes were terrifyingly red as he stared unflinchingly at us.

Sasuke finally uttered shakily, "Nii-san...what? You killed Mother and Father?"

Itachi stepped towards us and said tonelessly, "I killed everyone in the Clan."

I croaked weakly, "That...that can't be true, right? Itachi-san?"

His hypnotising Sharingan focused on me and he replied softly, "I needed to see what my capacity is. It is to prove that my abilities are above anyone in this ridiculous clan."

Sasuke shouted angrily, "You killed everyone just to prove that?"

Itachi said nothing and before I could stop him, Sasuke sprinted towards the murderer with raised fists. Itachi dodged the attack with ease and punched him square in the stomach with full strength, causing Sasuke to fall to the floor.

I rushed forwards, shielding Sasuke from the second blow. I felt one of my ribs crack as Itachi's fist came into contact. However, I stayed put, protecting my best friend who laid unmoving on the floor. Sasuke forced himself up determinedly, saying, "Himeko, this is my fight." I refused to budge and glared up at the traitor.

Suddenly, Itachi picked me up by the neck and flinged me roughly towards the wall, walking towards me. Sasuke staggered to his feet, shouting, "Leave her alone! You want me, right? Am I not the loose end?"

I panted slightly, clutching to my aching chest and pleaded, "Sasuke, leave! Go look for help!"

Itachi's hands squeezed my windpipe as he lifted up against the wall, while I wheezed, "Sasuke, please! Go look for help! It's the only way!" Sasuke gave me a worried glance, but I mouthed with all my strength, "Go!". With that, he turned and dashed out of the room.

I felt relieved as I saw him leave the room. I began to feel drowsy due to the lack of air and felt my eyelids droop. Itachi released me and I began to gasp for air on the ground. He noted emotionlessly, "You tried to save Sasuke." I knew that I would probably be killed by him, so I could possibly buy Sasuke a bit more time by fighting him.

I put my hands in my pockets and grabbed a short dagger, pouncing at him. He dodged my futile attacks easily and grabbed my arm, twisting it in a painful angle. I screamed as he pulled at it, dropping my knife.

He remarked, "So weak. You're a pitiful representation of the great Spirit Clan. Though perhaps if you regain your memory, you'll surpass me. In fact, when you do, you might do what I did and betray Konoha."

I growled in pain, "I would never betray my village!" He yanked my arm lightly, and I heard a deafening crack and yelled in pain as he dislocated my arm.

He knelt down to look into my silver eyes which were reflected in his blood red eyes and said, "You have the same look in your eyes as Sasuke. You are both weak, but you might have the potential to surpass me. I let you two go now. The next time we meet will be a fight to the death. Hate me, live on with Sasuke, and cling on to your pitiful lives." The 3 spots in his sharingan merged and I felt myself falling into darkness.


	14. Learning to STAND again

Learning to stand again

3rd person

Sasuke limped as quickly as he could out of the village on his sprained ankle. He forced himself not to think about whether Himeko was alive and focused on getting help. His legs were bleeding badly, as due to his ankle injury, he tripped dozens of times as he escaped. He thought he heard someone approaching and limped as fast as he could towards the village gate.

Then the man he feared most appeared in front of him. He stuttered, "I..itachi..."

His brother stared mercilessly at him. Sasuke didn't care anymore and exclaimed, "Just kill me and get it over with!"

Itachi replied coldly, "You're not worth killing. You are too weak. You always wanted to surpass me. So this is your chance. Despise me, flee and live in fear with Himeko, foolish little brother!" Sasuke fell to his knees as his once kind brother left him in the deserted street of the Uchiha village.

3rd person

Asuma stood at the bedside of the resting girl on the hospital bed and stared sadly at her. He was ashamed that he wasn't fulfilling his duties as her father at all ever since her amnesia. He found it impossible to even talk to her normally. It felt like he was betraying her trust. He was so proud of her graduation, but only watched her from afar. He loved her deeply, but every moment he spent with her made him feel so guilty.

Now it was his fault that he wasn't there to protect her from this Uchiha Massacre. It was because of his personal insecurities that his daughter was exposed to this mass murderer, Uchiha Itachi. He stroked her cheek gently and his heart ached as he saw Himeko's arm in a cast.

He turned away from the girl and saw the sleeping boy next to her, Uchiha Sasuke. He knew that the boy's life would be so tough when he woke up, being the only surviving clan member apart from his brother. He couldn't imagine what the boy would have to go through when the kid's own brother killed his own family in cold blood.

The little girl stirred in her sleep and Asuma whispered, "Himeko-chan, if you can hear me, I want to know how proud I am of you. I know that you must have tried to protect your best friend as much as possible." Asuma planted a soft kiss on his daughter's forehead and prayed silently, "Ancestors of Konoha Village, I pray that you protect these two children from any more suffering."

HIMEKO's POV

I felt someone touch my hand and opened my eyes to see Sasuke staring at me with lifeless eyes. We didn't speak but looked into each others' eyes. He muttered, "I am glad that you're alive."

I nodded and added, "I am glad we are both alright." For the next week, we didn't speak much during our daily check-ups at the hospital and the visit to the Uchiha house to claim Sasuke's belongings. I held his hand in support during the funerals, but we couldn't utter a single word to each other.

Even when Sandaime went into the ward to check in on us to suggest that we continue our genin education at the academy. We both merely nodded. On the last night of our stay at the hospital till we go to the ninja academy, Sasuke finally spoke solemnly, "Himeko, I have decided."

I turned to look at him in my bed next to his. He continued, "I will be the strongest ninja and _**kill**_ Itachi." I felt his determination and promised, "I will support you all the way." Sasuke and I gazed at each other for a long while, making a pact between us to avenge the Uchiha Clan.

The first day of school came and I went to the washroom to put a new plaster on my seal at the back. I looked at myself at the mirror and realised that my eyes had lost its previous warm glow, but now were a dull grey. My wounds had healed perfectly and my arms had stopped aching. I went back to the ward for the last time to pick up a backpack prepared by the nurses and started for the academy with Sasuke.

As we walked down the road to the school, the villagers all pointed at us and talked under their breaths about us. Sasuke said softly, "So this is how you felt before."

I assured, "They'll stop doing it after a while." As we entered the classroom, we received the same reaction from the students except Naruto.

Naruto ran towards me, hugging me tightly, crying, "Himeko-_chan_! I was so worried about you."

Sasuke grunted in distaste beside me, and I pushed Naruto away slowly, reassuring him, "Naruto-kun, I am fine." Sasuke took my hand and pulled me away from him towards the two seats at the back of the classroom.

Iruka-sensei entered the room and announced, "Fellow genins, today I will be announcing your grouping! You will all be in teams of 3 with a highly experienced teacher." When he stated the team 7 members, Naruto jumped out of his chair in glee.

He exclaimed, "YES! I am in the same team with you, Himeko-chan!" I smiled weakly at him and heard Sasuke's "tsk" beside me.

Sasuke growled, "At least I am with you. Why are we stuck with the idiot of the class?"

Naruto turned around to glare at Sasuke and shouted angrily, "Hey, I HEARD THAT!" I felt definite tension between the two boys and suggested worriedly, "Guys, should we just go meet our teacher now?"

I stayed defiantly between Naruto and Sasuke, hopefully stopping some of their endless bickering. As we reached the training ground, no one was there to be seen. I glanced down at my watch and remarked, "The teacher's late."

Then suddenly, a ninja with silver hair appeared beside me and greeted cheerfully, "Yo, I am team 7's leader, Kakashi-sensei!" I turned to stare at the teacher whose forehead protector covered one of his eyes.

He continued, "Should we start introducing ourselves? Tell me why you want to be a ninja." He gestured towards the eager Naruto, who replied quickly, "I am Uzumaki Naruto. I want to be a ninja because I want to be the next Hokage!" Sasuke scoffed, and earned a instant glare from the blonde ninja.

Sasuke began, "I am Uchiha Sasuke. I only have one purpose – kill a certain ninja for revenge." Everyone in the team stared at him silently.

Then I began, "I am Sarutobi Himeko. I want to be a ninja to support and protect people that I care about." I glanced at Sasuke beside me and turned to see Kakashi-sensei gazing at me sadly.

As he saw me looking at him, he turned away to continue, "Well, that's it for introduction! We'll start our exams now!"

Naruto's mouth fell open and stuttered, "E-exam? Again?"

Kakashi nodded and grinned, saying, "If you fail this exam, you won't be able to be a ninja. The exam is to take these two bells tied to my pocket." He rattled the two bells in front of us and warned, "There are only two bells. So act quickly! LET'S BEGIN!"

Naruto took a direct swing at him, which Kakashi dodged easily, while Sasuke and I leapt behind the trees to formulate a plan. Sasuke suggested, "We need to work together. I'll be the distraction, and you'll take the two bells."

I nodded and waited till Sasuke engaged Kakashi. I focused on my hearing and sneaked slowly, making no noise at all. Within seconds, Sasuke was pushed onto the ground by Kakashi. However, Sasuke used the Great Fireball Technique which surprised Kakashi so much that he didn't notice my hand removing the bells from his pockets.

Kakashi leapt to safety away from the fireball and said under his breath, "Impressive. He can already use this technique at such a young age."

I walked out of the trees in plain sight and Kakashi stared confusedly at me, stating, "Himeko-sama, I don't think you understand the game. You're supposed to attack me for the bells."

I lifted the two bells for him to see and he smiled, praising, "Well played!" I handed one of the bells to Sasuke while Naruto moaned, "That's not fair! They were working together!" Kakashi turned to Naruto and said maliciously, "Now to punish the loser!"

Naruto was tied to the wooden stake in the middle of the training ground. Kakashi gave Sasuke and me two bentos and said, "I'll be away for a while. Mark my words, these bentos are only for the victors. If I see you giving it to Naruto, you will automatically fail!" With that, he left.

Sasuke and I opened the bentos and began savouring the delicious food. Naruto bit his lip as he saw us munching away. As his stomach started growling pitifully, I turned my head to look at him and back at my bento.

Sasuke knew what I wanted to do and warned, "Himeko, no. He'll fail you."

"It's fine if we don't tell." I used my chopsticks to pick up a slice of pork and fed Naruto.

Naruto blushed and thanked, "Himeko-chan! You are so nice!" I smiled back at him and I saw Sasuke stuffing a riceball roughly into Naruto's mouth, choking Naruto slightly.

I giggled as Naruto scolded, "What the hell? Sasuke, I nearly choked to death!" Sasuke said coldly, "I thought you are hungry."

Someone behind us said ominously, "So you have decided to fail." Sasuke and I turned around to see Kakashi's disappointed stare.

He approached us slowly and suddenly gave Sasuke a pat on the back, shouting joyously, "Congratulations! You all passed! You are now officially genin of the team 7!" Kakashi caught sight of our surprised looks and explained, "The exam is to see if you can work together and you passed!"

Over the couple of months, we did mundane missions like retrieving lost cats, painting houses and random jobs around the village because Sandaime kept stressing that a Konoha Princess shouldn't be put in such danger. The worst thing was that Naruto kept messing things up during every mission, making it that much harder. However, the weird thing was Sasuke and I had gotten used to his hot temper, ignorant comments and silly ideas. We met each other every single day and grew much closer to each other. So when Kakashi suggested that we went on a D-mission which required us to go to the Mist Village, we felt perfectly ready.

Little did we know that this was no _normal_ D-mission.


	15. AWAken

AWAKen~

As we all walked into Hokage's office to meet our client, an old bridge builder called Tayuya. Sandaime waved at me enthusiastically and I forced a small smile. Kakashi explained, "This old man wants us to be his bodyguards as he goes to the Wave Village to build a bridge." Naruto greeted the old man, "Don't worry, old man! We're the best team!" The man with a straw hat smiled unconvincingly.

3rd pov

As Team 7 genins left the office with the builder, Hokage gestured Kakashi to stay. Sandaime ordered Kakashi, "Keep a close eye on Himeko. If my assumption is true, it might be dangerous for Naruto to be around her."

Kakashi nodded and asked, "Sandaime-sama, are you saying that Kyuubi in Naruto might be more active with Himeko around?"

Sandaime stated solemnly, "That's what I fear."

HIMEKO POV

As we were walking through the forests towards the Wave Village, I enhanced my hearing to monitor our surroundings. The old man kept glancing at my fire emblem bracelets and finally asked, "Are you the Konoha Princess?"

Naruto replied with a grin, "The one and only! Isn't she pretty?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, I heard a slighty commotion in the trees around 5 metres away and sprinted towards to Kakashi, whispering, "I think I heard someone following us."

Kakashi's eyes narrowed and asked, "How many?"

I replied, "Two ninjas, I think. They are travelling quite quickly."

Kakashi nodded and said softly, "Don't tell the old man or Naruto. I don't want them to freak out." I agreed and went back to the group.

The old man asked worriedly, "Something wrong?"

I shook my hand and smiled, replying, "Just telling Kakashi-sensei that I am really famished right now." Sasuke stared at me and I gave him a I'll-tell-you-later look. Naruto opened his backpack and offered me packets of crisps, saying, "Take it!" I grabbed a bar of chocolate and thanked him.

As I offered Sasuke some chocolate, I whispered in his ear, "Two ninjas are following us." Sasuke shot me a knowing look.

We walked over a bridge and past a huge puddle on the road. As we walked across the puddle, two ninjas jumped out of it, releasing two chains with knives on the end of them at Kakashi. The chains wrapped around him and as they pulled, Kakashi was tore to shreds. Naruto who was too frightened to move was scraped by the chains.

Sasuke and I automatically surrounded the old man, protecting him. The two ninja immediately pounced at the old man so I pushed him away. I dodged the chains and both Sasuke and I threw kunais at them, fixing the chains to the tree. The ninjas went straight for us with raised fists. With my enhanced speed, I was behind them within seconds and kicked them headfirst straight to the ground. Sasuke did a finishing blow to each of them, knocking them out. Kakashi reappeared, applauding our victory and praising, "Well done, Himeko and Sasuke!"

Sasuke and I shared annoyed looks and both wondered why he wasn't there to help us. Kakashi tied the two ninjas up with ease and saw the mist emblem on their forehead protectors.

He turned to the old man, stating, "Tayuya-san, these ninjas are assassins from the hidden mist. When you first asked for help in Konoha, you didn't mention that there would be ninjas hunting you down. This mission is supposed to be only a D mission."

The old man looked away, and suddenly, Naruto fell on his knees. Kakashi stated, "Naruto's poisoned by the chain which scraped him. He needs to get it out of his system."

I rushed forward Naruto and held his shoulders as he was starting to lose his consciousness. I took a kunai and grabbed his hand. I made a deeper cut on the wound, letting more of his blood out. I pressed my lips to his wound, sucking his blood out and spitting it out. To my surprise, as I held his hand, his wound began to close.

Naruto came back to his senses and grinned mischievously, "Himeko-chan, we're holding hands! Did you see that, Sasuke?"

I let go of his hand and remarked, "Your wounds heal quickly."

Naruto chuckled and joked, "My wounds heal at your touch!" Sasuke had seen enough and grabbed my wrist to pull me away from the flirt. Kakashi couldn't stop staring at me which made me slightly uncomfortable. My mouth still tasted of Naruto's _**blood**_.

The old man explained that a rich tyrant didn't want him to build the bridge and hired assassins to kill him. Kakashi sighed as he heard the truth and asked us, "What do you want to do? We could go back and let some more experienced ninjas take care of this."

Naruto shook his head and said, "We can do this!" Kakashi looked at Sasuke and me and we nodded.

So Kakashi continued, "Then we have to be extra careful. These assassins will kill anyone in their way. Himeko-sama, you need to keep clear of the fights."

I frowned and insisted, "I am part of the team 7. I will fulfil my duty and protect the old man."

Kakashi sighed and said, "Fine. The assassins from the hidden mist are known to be vicious and merciless. So when I signal you to do so, I need all of you to surround the old man and get behind me."

As the sun had set, we made camp. While the others were readying the fire and food, I grabbed a bucket to get some water. I used my enhanced hearing to hear for rushing water. I followed the noise and found a pond. As I filled my bucket, I heard another ninja moving very quickly towards me. I knew I wouldn't have time to hide, so I held tight to my kunai inside my pocket.

A gorgeous woman with long black hair and a colorful blue kimono appeared before me. She looked at me curiously as I looked defiantly at the pond.

She noted, "Your eyes..." I looked at her and was prepared to see the same terrified that people had when they saw me. However, she seemed genuinely glad to see me and moved towards me.

Her face was inches away from mine and I could see her dark eyes and fine facial features. She moved away from me and said politely, "Pardon my rudeness. I was just very surprised to see a Spirit Clan pure-blood."

I asked, "You know of my clan."

She nodded and added, " I have never seen a pure-blood before. People of the Clan told me that the pure-bloods were all killed."

"You knew people of my clan?"

She corrected me, "I know. I saw him a month ago before he moved away with his clansmen."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing and repeated, "A month ago? Are there still people of my clan?"

She nodded and explained, "They have been in hiding for a long while after the massacre. But I'd better be going as I really shouldn't be fraternising with the enemy." She looked at my Leaf Village forehead protector and bracelets.

I backed away from her slightly and asked, "Are you an assassin?"

She nodded and added, "I am quite like you actually. I also have Techniques passed from my blood family."

Someone ran through the woods and shouted, "Himeko-sama! Where are you?" As I turned to see the approaching Kakashi, the woman had disappeared.

Kakashi rushed towards me and asked worriedly, "Are you hurt?"

I shook my head and looked up at the silver-haired man, asking, "Have you heard of the Spirit Clan?"

He looked slightly troubled and sat next to me, replying, "Yes, I have."

I glanced at the man staring at me and asked, "Do you think there are remaining Spirit Clan members in this world?"

He placed a hand on my shoulder and replied, "Himeko-sama, I don't know, but isn't Konoha your home?"

I looked at my bracelets and said solemnly, "I understand that, but what if I have blood relatives still alive in this world? Some people who would accept me for who I am."

Kakashi wrapped his arms around me and stroked my hair gently, reassuring me, "Himeko-chan, villagers in Konoha would grow to accept you. You've got Sasuke, Naruto and me, right?" I nodded.

Suddenly, I felt slightly dizzy and Kakashi shouted worriedly, "Himeko! HIMEKO!" I fell onto the soft ground and felt the mark on my back grow hot.


	16. BREAKAWAY

POV Kakashi

I shook Himeko gently, but she didn't response. Her unfocused eyes were open and started to glow. I tore off the plaster on her back and found that the seal was growing lighter.

I took out the temporary seal that Hokage gave me before the mission and slapped the paper on the mark, focusing my chakra on it. The circle around Orochimaru's seal darkened and Himeko lost consciousness.

She lay resting in my arms as I put the plaster back on. I had feared something like this would happen. By being close to Naruto, Kyuubi in Naruto affects Himeko and vice versa. Himeko's true nature would try to break the seal on her summoning powers, and Naruto's Kyuubi would be more susceptible to go berserk. The temporary seal would only hold for a week and would break if her powers tried to return again.

I carried her on my back and went back to the camp. Sasuke stood up abruptly and asked hurriedly, "What's wrong with Himeko? Is she hurt?" I laid her on the mattress in one of the tents and replied, "Don't worry, Sasuke-kun. She's just a bit tired."

HIMEKO POV

Someone was calling for me. I heard a strangely familiar deep voice saying my name repeatedly. I wandered aimlessly in a pure white space, following the sound. I was getting closer and closer and my heart beat faster and faster. Then an enormous fox bared its teeth at me with its nine tails lashing around. Its blood-red cat-like eyes were inches away from mine as it growled, "Unleash me, Himeko!"

I yelped and sat up from the mattress in my tent, heaving slightly. I was covered in sweat, trembling vigorously.

Kakashi grabbed my shoulders to steady me, forcing me to look at him and asking, "Himeko, are you alright?"

I bit my lip and said shakily, "I think I saw Kyuubi." Kakashi held me close, trying to calm me down.

I couldn't stop shivering and whispered, "Kakashi-sensei, something is wrong with me. I can feel it."

He looked away from my eyes and reassured, "Himeko-sama, everything's fine. Just try to rest." I lay down on the mattress and shut my eyes, trying to forget those wretched red eyes which haunted me.

We set out on the next morning and Sasuke kept glancing warily at me, as I wasn't able to keep up with Naruto's fast pace with a huge headache. It was clear that I was lagging behind a lot, and Kakashi carried me on his back for the rest of the journey to the pier. We sat on a boat to go to the Wave Village.

Kakashi asked the boat builder, "Tazuna-san, if you want us to help you, we need to know your situation. Who's trying to kill you?"

The old man sighed and began, "A wealthy business man Gatou is trying to stop the bridge-building as when the bridge is built, the Wave villagers will no longer solely depend on him. So he's trying to kill me, the main architect of the bridge." I couldn't concentrate at all when the old man told his story. Naruto caught sight of me nodding off and poked me on the cheek. As his finger came into contact, I felt instant static and jumped away from him, landing straight into Sasuke's arms.

The boat rocked dangerously and Naruto asked worriedly, "Oi, Himeko-chan, what's wrong?"

My headache was getting worse now and I forced myself to utter, "Just don't touch me..."

Sasuke allowed me to lean on his chest and stated seriously, "Kakashi-sensei, we need to get Himeko medical attention now!"

I shook my head and insisted, "I am fine. We need to get Tazuna-san safely into the village first."

Sasuke carried me on his back as we got off the boat to walk to the village through the trees. I muttered apologetically, "Sasuke, I'm sorry for being a burden to the team."

He gave me a worried stare and ordered, "Himeko, just rest for now."

Suddenly, I heard something throught the trees and warned quickly, "Someone's here." We all ducked in time as a huge sword narrowly missed our heads. The sword fixed itself into a tree trunk and a ninja with a bandaged face jumped on its blade.

Sasuke laid me down on the ground gently and took out his kunai. The muscular ninja had a different forehead protector which marked the hidden mist ninja. He jumped down, pulling his sword out of the tree with ease.

I staggered to my feet and pulled out some shurikens. Without warning, the man rushed towards Tazuna beside me. Kakashi threw a well-aimed kunai at him, causing the assassin to leap away.

He turned to Kakashi and stated, "You're Hatake Kakashi, the copy ninja from Konoha, right?"

Kakashi replied coolly, "You're Zabuza, the ruthless assassin from the hidden mist village." Kakashi shifted his forehead protector to reveal his Sharingan. Sasuke's eyes widened as he saw it.

Zabuza jumped onto the river, standing on the water. He made a sign and mist shrouded the whole area. We couldn't even see where Kakashi was. I mustered all my strength to pay attention to the noises around me. There was a slight pat behind us and I shouted, "He's behind us." We all dodged away from the attack.

Zabuza stared at me peculiarly, and stated tonelessly, "You knew where I was. I guess I will have to take care of you first!" He waved his enormous sword at me. I couldn't move from my position and braced for the blow.

Kakashi appeared in front of me, blocking the sword with a kunai, ordering, "Move, Himeko-sama!" For a moment, I merely stared at Kakashi and Sasuke pulled me away.

Zabuza was still staring at me, and noted curiously, "Those silver eyes. She's a Spirit Clan pure-blood. Yet she's still a Leaf Ninja! I pity her." Kakashi took a swipe with his kunai, and Zabuza dodged it easily.

Zabuza laughed darkly, saying, "I am going to have fun when I kill her." Kakashi pounced at him, stabbing him in the stomach. However, Zabuza's clone merely burst into water and his real form kicked him roughly into the air to the pool.

Zabuza rushed towards Kakashi and summoned a ball of water caging Kakashi, with one of his hands touching the water sphere. Then Zabuza summoned another clone of himself, which appeared right in front of us.

The real Zabuza looked down at Kakashi and stated with a smirk, "You can stay here and watch your students die one by one." The water clone beckoned towards us, and Sasuke automatically stood in front of me, shielding me from him. Naruto rushed directly towards him and was immediately flung into a tree.

The clone walked slowly towards us now, looking straight at me and muttered darkly, "I'll have some fun with you before I kill off the old guy."

Sasuke turned his head and ordered, "Himeko, stay behind me." Sasuke then sprinted towards Zabuza's clone, landing a punch on his chest, but Zabuza caught him by the neck, choking him. Zabuza threw Sasuke on the ground and kicked him square in the chest, causing blood to spurt out of his mouth.

I yelled, "Stop it!" Zabuza stopped breaking Sasuke's ribs and turned towards me. I pointed my kunai at him with shaking hands.

Zabuza strode towards me and examined me, saying, "So you are from the Spirit Clan, the strongest clan of ninjas. How long can you stay alive?"

He advanced towards me in the speed of light and my instincts took over. My heart was beating uncontrollably and adrenaline was pumping through my veins. My body took over and I found myself more agile and stronger.

My body knew how to dodge all his attacks as if I had done this a million times before. My hands and legs began to move in a strangely familiar way as I were dancing. My body instinctively focused chakra on my fingers, producing long chakra strings.

I knew I had done this before, my body knew exactly how to restrain Zabuza. I could feel the chakra strings's tension as Zabuza struggled and found my arms crossing each other, causing the strings to constrict and cut Zabuza's water clone into slices.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sasuke and Naruto staring at me with surprised looks. However, I was reminded of Kakashi still under the water binding technique. I charged towards Zabuza and Kakashi in full speed and waved the chakra strings at the sphere, breaking the top half of the sphere and freeing Kakashi. I glared at Zabusa as I stood on the water.

Suddenly, there was a sharp pain on my back and I clasped a hand on my mark. I fell to my knees on the water, panting heavily. Zabuza moved towards me and raised his sword, praising me, "You have put up a good fight."

As the blade came down, Kakashi blocked it with his bare hands, causing it to bleed profusely, stating, "Zabuza, it's about time we end this." I gradually lost consciousness, and fell into the water. Luckily, Sasuke pulled me back towards the land.

Kakashi POV

Zabuza was going to lose and we both knew it. I copied everything that he tried to do and performed the same ninjutsus at the same time. It surprised him so much that I was able to gain the upper hand and he was hit with his own water dragon element technique.

As he fell onto the ground, I took a quick glance at Himeko who was tended to by Sasuke and Naruto. _**Had she recovered all her memories? Those moves she did on Zabuza were the exact dance technique that she invented before the incident. **_

I pointed my kunai at Zabuza's knife to deliver the final kill. However, two needles thrown afar were implanted into his neck before I did. I turned around to see a Hidden Mist Anbu standing in the trees. The ninja had long black hair with two tied pieces of hair in front and wore a hidden mist Anbu mask.

He jumped from the tree, landing graciously next to Zabuza's dead body. The ninja turned his head to look at Himeko's unconscious form and back at Zabuza. I checked his body for vital signs and found none. Zabuza was dead.

The ninja explained tonelessly, "Zabuza is my target. I was assigned to kill him. Thank you for disarming him. It was my job. I shall take the body away for inspection." The ninja nodded and disappeared with Zabuza's body. Sasuke, Naruto and the bridge builder stared in awe of the young ninja who killed Zabuza in just a shot.

I felt my vision go blurry due to the strain of the Sharingan, but I bit my lip and forced myself to check on Himeko. I knew I needed to put her in a safe place and examine her seal. However, as I moved my leg towards the resting girl, I collapsed.

HIMEKO POV

When I woke up , I was in a warm mattress with a cold towel on my forehead. Sasuke was sitting silently beside me, staring peculiarly at me. I sat up slowly and asked, "Is everyone alright?"

He nodded and added, "We're at the old man's house and Kakashi-sensei is still resting from the fight." I remembered Sasuke's cracked ribs and asked worriedly, "Sasuke, your injuries!"

He replied tonelessly, "I am fine."

His relentless stare was making me uncomfortable and I said cheerfully, "That's good."

He finally spoke, "I saw how you fought Zabuza. Those moves...it's like you had so much experience and training. I've never seen you fight like that."

I looked down at my palms and said honestly, "Sasuke, I was so scared when I saw you hurt. Then my instincts took over. Somehow my body knew how to fight."

I stared into his dark eyes and continued, "Lately, I think I am starting to regain my lost memories. However, honestly I am very frightened of what I will find about my past. Why am I so skilled at fighting? Why do I keep having nightmares?"

Sasuke laid a hand on my shoulder and soothed, "Himeko, I will be with you all the way."

I remembered what Zabusa and the weird ninja lady said and I asked fearfully, "What if I am destined to kill and betray Konoha? That's what people often think."

Sasuke took hold of my trembling hands and reassured, "I will be there to stop you."

I squeezed his warm hands and asked, "Can I ask you something? If I ever turn against Konoha and kill innocent people, can you kill me with your hands?"

Sasuke looked taken aback as he heard my request but nodded solemnly and added sorrowfully, "But before that, you need to fulfil your promise to me and stay with me till I kill Itachi." I promised, staring into his soulful eyes, "I will."

The door slid open and Kakashi walked in with a serious look of his face. He ordered, "Sasuke-kun, leave the room." Sasuke gripped my hand tightly and stayed put.

Kakashi repeated again gently, "Sasuke-kun, I just need to examine Himeko-sama's wounds."

Sasuke whispered, "I'll just be outside." as he left me alone with Kakashi.

I squeezed the mattress with my hands nervously and Kakashi comforted, "Don't worry, Himeko-sama, I just need to check your seal." I turned my back on him, while he pulled down the kimono to reveal the plaster on the mark. He removed the plaster gently and as his fingers touched the mark, I winced and gasped from the pain.

He asked hurriedly, "Does it hurt?"

I nodded, asking, "What's happening to me?"

He was silent for a moment and began slowly, "Your seal is breaking..."

I frowned and stated, "Does it mean that my disease will return?"

He didn't reply and ordered, "Himeko-sama, I need you to stay here in the house away from danger before we return. I can't risk you breaking the seal."

I turned around to look straight at my teacher imploringly, begging, "Kakashi-sensei, I want to be useful to this team. And I think that everytime I fight, bits of my memories come back to me. I need answers to my past and something tells me by breaking the seal, I will regain my lost memories."

Kakashi grabbed my shoulders and ordered sternly, "Himeko-sama, you are to stay here. That's my final order."

_**I heard Sasuke arguing with Kakashi outside the room, while I curled under my sheets to block all the noise. I heard Kyuubi's faint voice say, "All you need to do is unleash me..." I forced myself to block the voice and lay on the bed, trying to fall asleep. **_


End file.
